Driving fast in the neighborhood.

[MJC///M3]

I too keep it usually in first, second gear (staying below 3K RPM's) driving through my neighborhood....a lot of small kids on my block that usually run out all the time in the street....so I am always careful and wary about them. Even though I do obey the speed limit in my neighborhood, people always look at me, I guess cuz the exhaust is loud and it gives the impression I am tear-assing through the streets.

[DoNDoN]

I am glad I am not the only one with this issue. I drive, actually crawl through my neighborhood since there are speed bumps. I am always getting dirty looks from moms who have their kids playing in the middle of the road. They are always going to think that sound = speed.

[Robo Squirrel]

actually now that i remember, i was carving up a backroad at night in my hometown and apparently some guy taking a walk thought it would be a good idea to jump out into the middle of the road and wave his arms for my to slow down....i was doing 80 at the time and i could have killed his dumb ass...this was in the e46, so he must have heard me coming....but really, is it worth your life to try to get someone to stop speeding down a backroad at 1am...my hometown is THE worst when it comes to ppl thinking they r the mayor...i hate it

[mkoesel]

On the topic of the M3 (or any fast car) looking/souding faster than it is actually traveling...

It wasn't in a neighborhood, but I recently got a ticket for what I think was the same type of phenomena. I rounded a corner at a relatively high speed (probably 35-40mph) going from a 45mph zone to a 55mph zone, and apparently got the attention of a cop. Now, he did say my wheels squealed, but I didn't hear it since I had the radio up loud at the moment. And admittedly, I was dong ten over the 55mph speed limit by the time he pulled me over. Ok, so I am guilty of speeding, no question...

However, when he stopped me, he asked my why I was going so fast. I told him, I was going ten over (which I was - had the cruise set to 65mph because I knew if I didn't I would probably have hit 75mph on that road. But even then the speedo is not perfect so I was probably really only doing 62mph or so) because I was trying to get home before my son got off the bus at 4pm, which was true. His response? "Ten over? You were doing ten over when you rounded the corner back there!". Um no, I thought to myself and gave him a confused look. And then it hit me, and I knew that I had just screwed myself because I don't think he even had a radar gun (he was on a frickin' motocycle after all, duh) - and I doubt he ever clocked me. However, like an idiot, I had already admitted to ten over. So, he brings me a ticket, but not for ten over. Instead it was for five over. So, sure, technically he actually gave me a break. But it also made me even more suspiscious that the guy never clocked me, and I think he figured at five over I'd not contest it, just pay the ticket and move on (which is true). So in the end I am not really angry, I was legitimately speeding after all. But it did leave a bad taste in my mouth.

End of story? No. I go to pay the ticket - almost a month later, and a few days late in fact - and wouldn't you know it is not in the system. The guy never reported it. Why? Well, I suspect it is because he later thought better of it because he had no evidence. It was all based on his hunch (and my foolish confession). But I had already put the damn ticket on the counter so the lady knew it existed, and she took it, entered it in the system, and charged me the fee. Damn! That left me more than a little miffed I must say.

Ok... back to the regularly scheduled thread.

[Gladius]

Don't *** shit where you eat, or in this case live. Not that that's what the OP did, just a generally good rule. I try to drive 5 under the speed limit in my neighborhood - only takes 30 seconds to get to my house from a main road, so it's not a big deal. But I too often wonder as I'm driving past these kids running around in their driveways if I'm going to get a parent yelling at me, just because I have a "fast" car.

[Robo Squirrel]

i lived in a gated community in michigan, and always went 20-25 mph, but ppl would still bitch at me b/c they thought i was speed b/c of the exhaust. my hometown in pa, tho....ppl get pissed at u for going fast even in deserted areas

[sard]

Thanks for the responses guys!

[Subw00er]

I used to drive fast too. You'll understand when you have kids and then you'll also drive slow. The value to danger factor of speeding in a neighborhood with kids who dont know about safety is too great.

[SoreHead]

Originally Posted by ///Metak

I crawl through my neighborhood, it's the effin soccer moms in the minivans and suv's that go down the street at 40 mph. The exhaust doesn't help. Even going 25 gives the illusion of speed with the sporty exhaust note.

+1
And you'll notice they only do it when their kid is in the car with them. I guarantee if their kid wasn't in the car they'd be bitching about someone else driving too fast through the neighbourhood.

In Ireland the limit in estates/sub-divisions is 30kmh. It's plenty when there are kids about. It used to piss me off at home watching the suv's tear arse up the road once they had their kid with them and the look you get if you open your mouth about it is incredible.

[!Xoible]

Originally Posted by sard

Ok so I had a shitty ass day at work today. One of those days that you bring your anger back to your home, and you're in such a foul mood you take some of it out on your wife. After I got home and showered I went out to bring some fast food home. As I turn into my neighborhood, I step on the gas a little agressively, keep in mind I'm in 1st gear the whole time, and I have an exhaust. In all honesty it was faster than I should have been going, but not crazy fast. Then this guy yells, "HEY!!" at me. I stop suddenly and reverse quickly to say back to him, "What?!" I've got some road rage plus the bad day at work in me. He lowers his voice down, but says sternly, "When you drive in this neighborhood drive slow...please!" I didn't have a come back as he's pretty much in the right. Only thing I could have said was maybe something like, "OK, I'll lower my speed, but lower your damn voice also." Anyways I just muttered ok and drove home pissed.

I know others who have gotten yelled at by parents who think the street is their 5 year old's mini hockey field. I actually went out of my house and rang the doorbell to the house I thought they lived in to explain the shitty day I've had and to apologize, but they didn't live there.

How many of you have had this same experience. Are you the one yelling at others to slow down in the neighborhood? I've got this mother *ucking Honda Civic with a loud ass exhaust that wakes me up at 5 am all the time throwing news letters out at houses.

*end rant*

LOL you have waaaaay too much guilt feel. i do have those days. you did do a mistake by driving a tad fast in a neighborhood. if i were a parent and i know my kids are playing there i would either kick your ass if you stopped, or called the cops if you didnt stop. because, honestly, peoples kids shouldnt fall victim to your mood

dont worry about it.. feel free to be a dick any day man. i usually be a dick on portola or the end of jamboree since it's empty

let me know when ur pissed next time, i'll let you punch me

[SoreHead]

Originally Posted by fpblue

Knowing how young males tend to drive, as I was one too, I want to make sure that they think of me everytime that they take that turn. It it saves a child or a pet, then it is worth it.

Whenever I give out about tear abouts driving like idiots I get the argument that I was young once and I didn't drive like a saint. What people seem to forget is that 20 years ago the driving world was a completely different place.

1. There were a hell of a lot less cars on the road
2. When I was a kid 110bhp was huge bhp to get your hands on. Ferraris were only just cracking 300bhp.

The kids nowadays are no better drivers than we were but now then can easily have 300 or 400 bhp under their arses and have to contend with a huge increase in other traffic. And lets be honest. We're not the brightest sparks when we're in our teens. There's no risk for us. The whole playing field has changed.

I's always maintained that it's not speed that causes accidents. It's inappropriate speed. 80 mph on a highway in low traffic and good weather is as safe as 30mph on a city street (probably safer). 80mph in the pissing rain in heavy traffic is dumb.

[JMD0977]

Coming out of my neighborhood a couple of days ago at about 10PM, I kinda took off aggressively but not exceeding 20-25 mph and within 30 second, 3 people called the gatehouse to try to get my plate number to call the cops, nothing happened, since I'm cool with the gate guards. Granted, I shouldn't have accelerated like that because the car sounds as if its going much faster. Its just very very hard to not accelerate hard in this car.

[modbargains]

I never speed in the neighborhood, no matter how pissed off I am.

[MJC///M3]

Originally Posted by **********s

I never speed in the neighborhood, no matter how pissed off I am.

+1.

Driving while upset or angry is prolly not the best thing to do. Beyond the fact of endangering your own life by driving aggressively, you endanger the lives of others. As far as road rage is concerned..be the bigger person and walk away (in this case drive i guess), you never really know who you are dealing with right?? No lies...my uncle one time had a case of road rage....guy cut him off, he beeped, yelled at him...at the next light guy casually walks out of the car, up to my uncles car and punches through the driver's side glass and hits my uncle in the face. Crazy world, crazy people.

Drive happy....we're driving M3's!!!!!

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by **********s

I never speed in the neighborhood, no matter how pissed off I am.

Agree.

And as a corollary to that, we should never let anger or any other negative emotion effect our driving regardless of what type of road we are on. Its just not worth it.

[SoreHead]

Originally Posted by MJC///M3

+1.

Driving while upset or angry is prolly not the best thing to do. Beyond the fact of endangering your own life by driving aggressively, you endanger the lives of others. As far as road rage is concerned..be the bigger person and walk away (in this case drive i guess), you never really know who you are dealing with right?? No lies...my uncle one time had a case of road rage....guy cut him off, he beeped, yelled at him...at the next light guy casually walks out of the car, up to my uncles car and punches through the driver's side glass and hits my uncle in the face. Crazy world, crazy people.

Drive happy....we're driving M3's!!!!!

Holy shit. What the hell?
Did he get the guy?

[AMOCHOSTO]

In my neighborhood people aren't stupid enough to let their kids play on the street, kids play in parks or backyards and walk on the sidewalks. Of course I live in downtown Toronto my street is a narrow through street with parking on one side and barely enough room for two cars to pass one another, no room to speed safely if anyone's coming the opposite way.

Of course at night all sorts or 'cruisers' blast past my house redlining their cars (ranging from tuned civics to Aston Martins) all the way down the street.

[MJC///M3]

Originally Posted by SoreHead

Holy shit. What the hell?
Did he get the guy?

yea police came....

i think he got the guy to pay for the window...guy was an ass...

it happened a long time ago...but he always tells me how some guy punched through glass and hit him in the face as a result of road rage.....

[valeram]

Being a parent, I have to respect the speed limit in a populated areas specially our neighborhood. They know me and I know them. I don't want to give them an impression that I am an ahole that thinks that I am license to speed because I drive an M3 (or any car for that matter).

[Finnegan]

Originally Posted by AMOCHOSTO

In my neighborhood people aren't stupid enough to let their kids play on the street, kids play in parks or backyards and walk on the sidewalks. Of course I live in downtown Toronto my street is a narrow through street with parking on one side and barely enough room for two cars to pass one another, no room to speed safely if anyone's coming the opposite way.

Same here in terms of room on the street in my neigborhood. Everyone parks on the street, leaving about 1 car's worth of room for those driving--not to mention lots of places for kids to dart out from where you can't see them.

I'd rather the kids didn't play in the street, but they do. I can't say I blame them or the parents. The lots are the size of postage stamps w/o enough room for kids to do anything. For those of you who don't live in CA you'd be shocked at the size of lots...I have less than 20 feet to my back fence and 8 feet on either side. They pack people in--especially in newer developments. So, as a driver I just have to deal (hence my crawl and 15-20 MPH policy).

Sorry to go of topic a bit but with this setup there's just no way one even go the posted limit without putting kids/pets at risk. I don't even have kids, but I realize just how easy it would be to hit one under the conditions I described. I get a pit in my stomach at just the thought of hitting a kid or someone's pet (like someone's cat that I saw splattered on the road in a residential area this AM while on the way to work ).

[!Xoible]

but Sard, why create this thread? to hear more lecturing and get more pissed off and speed again?

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by Finnegan

For those of you who don't live in CA you'd be shocked at the size of lots...I have less than 20 feet to my back fence and 8 feet on either side.

I live in Michigan and have the same situation. I purposely chose a house with a small lot because I do not enjoy maintaining a large yard. There's plenty of space for the kids to play in the parks around the neighborhood. I find that kids are very rarely in the street, and I would definitely discipline my own if they were to play in the street. Of course I always drive at or below the limit anyway, since speeding in residential areas just does not make sense.